In a response to a great documentary I just watched about Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus entitled ‘Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things’ (www.theminimalists.com), I’ll briefly explore this theme (minimalism) in arboriculture. Because as arborists, we do market our services to consumers. What is it that we are selling to our clients? We’ll defend our notion that it is quality arboriculture. Is it though? Do people really need what we are selling to them? And as arborists, we are also consumers ourselves. We need to stay up to date, and it seems everyday the technology changes. If not, we’ll loose our competitive edge and our foothold in an ever changing industry, right? The old adage of more is less really does seem romantic for many reasons. But is it realistic?

Crown raise, crown reduction, deadwood removal, cabling, bracing, air spading and root zone invigoration, leaf sampling and soil sampling, risk assessment and report writing and the list goes on and on and on. Well, you may ask yourself, what we would we do as arborists if it wasn’t for those services, huh? What do you expect us to do if we don’t prune and cable and mulch and consult! I do realize that it is a double edge sword, the concept of sales and of being ethical in what we sell. Of course, everyone needs a paycheck at the end of the day. There is wonderful money to be made in the services we provide as arborists. That doesn’t mean we can’t be more conscious of how we deliver those services though.

The line has to be drawn somewhere. For me I think a good place to start is with the client, more specifically, the tree owner. We have duty to not take advantage of someone with our professional and scientific knowledge. This is important because there will be times when tree owners believe they need something they don’t. And also there will be times when tree owners don’t know the things they truly need. And also, discoveries will be made and we’ll learn that what we thought trees needed, they don’t. As arborists we must educate our clients, and we need to keep in mind what they’re budget is, and respect it. More importantly though, we need to educate ourselves. This, in turn, builds incredible value to what we sell our clients. Arboriculture then becomes more economic, more environmental, more user friendly. It is my opinion that if we can help people spend money better on their trees, (really, less money on their trees) and not exploit them, that is a quality service. And at that point a saw hasn’t even started yet. I believe this to be a great place to start when considering what quality arboriculture is.

So is my point about overselling our services? I’m not quite sure, but it is something that I contemplate all the time as an arborist. Sometimes I get scared when I see clients with trees that need absolutely nothing. Perfectly healthy, maybe one or two small dead limbs that really aren’t a safety concern. There is no money growing on that tree! Then again, we need to listen to the clients wants and needs, as well as the tree’s. There are three spheres in this relationship, the client (tree owner), the tree, and the arborist. It is fascinating to consider all of the different ways in which those spheres overlap under different circumstances.

I think two important considerations about applying minimalism to arboriculture, at least on the arborist’s behalf, is skill and resources. If you’re a company with nine chip trucks and three buckets and a crane and 25 or 30 employees, I think trying to convince you to sell less would be a hard sell indeed. Clearly, volume is necessary to keep that operation healthy. But maybe it could be better volume. Do you have any wasted space in your massive shop? Equipment or gear piling up that can be recycled, restored or reintroduced into the everyday operations? Do you need brand new materials to create a shelf or other type of workspace? Can you use recycled items to add flavor? Can you think of a creative way to give a new life to something that has been forgotten about? And how about the small operators out there, the two-man-crews that are lean and mean already? I’m sure even in that situation you can find wasted space, wasted spending, or even wasted time.  So it’s not about being a minimalist on a grand scale all the time, but even in little pockets of business where you can manage it.

And how about the arborist as the consumer? Personally, I have so many bins and bags of extra gear and gear outdated that it causes a small storm of anxiety to brew up inside me. Fourteen different ring and rings, and I could talk to you all day about why one is more or less efficient than the other. The fact remains though, that only one can support your life at once. And the same can be said for the countless saddles and carabiners and hitch chords and cammed rope grabs and helmets and ear muffs and glasses. It’s because the innovations in gear make us better climbers, right? I mean, you have to spend money to make money! I have succumbed to the advertising monsters. They have eaten me alive.

Let’s be honest too. There’s nothing like having a new piece of gear arrive in the mail. The latest pulley, the newest cordage, the most innovative climbing device. It fills a void we feel as a climber or a rigger. A new piece of gear makes us new. It makes us better. We micro analyze gear because we’ve been brain washed into believing that new gear makes creates an opportunity for us to be quicker, to be more efficient. And not only that, but it’s safer! And in an industry that seems to get more dangerous year after year, at least from a marketing standpoint, gear innovation has failed in that regard. So I think the argument that we don’t need every new piece of junk that comes out has some footing. We can slim down the gear bag, and make more conscious decisions about how we buy products, and about who we buy products from and about why we buy products from those people. The advertising is everywhere, and don’t think they won’t exploit the issue of safety to sell product. Just like we arborists exploit safety to sell services. All of this can be taken with a grain of salt, although everyones taste is a bit different so I’ll leave the shaker on the table.

How can we be more minimal as arborists? That’s a personal question, I know. But after some contemplation I would bet that you can find some aspect of your arboriculture-self that can be uncluttered, slimmed down and neatened up. Get rid of the things that you don’t need, and focus on the things that you truly do need.

I’ll end on a great quote that was referenced in the documentary,  and I think it can really apply to arboriculture and how we as arborists approach our trade:

“Love people, use things. The opposite never works.”

That’s as minimal as it gets.